Parents Sue St. Edmund's College for Sexual Harassment

Photo: (Photo : Photo by Kat Jayne from Pexels)

Evi Rowe was reportedly disturbed with sexual harassment by a male student on the top north coast of Sydney during year 8 in 2018 at St Edmund's College in Wahroonga. 

The teenager was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following the suspected series of assaults. She reportedly panicked for 30 hours.

Steve and Belinda Rowe identified the effects of the alleged disturbance on her daughter. Evi went to someone who could not toilet on her own out of a happy, bubbly kid.

It also influenced the other children of the couple. They keep Evi close and safe, but they know that Evi's not the little sister they once had anymore.

READ: Sexual Harassment In Schools: A Normalized Culture, Forced Girls To Wear Shorts Under Skirts

St Edmund's College, a particular high school for adolescents with various disabilities, approached the Rowe's to inform them that their daughter may presumably be affected sexually by a masculine student.

Text messages were also reportedly uncovered amongst students debating sexual content.

The police investigated the allegations later and found that it was "probable" that the suspected assaults involved digital penetration of several young ladies on school grounds called the Sacred Space in an isolated rainforest.

Lawyer Danielle De Paoli on behalf of the Rowe family said that Evi was "a child at risk, who was especially vulnerable." After their daughter was allegedly attacked in 2018, the College failed in its essential duty of caring for its students.

After the Rowes said they did not want the suspected perpetrator to be charged with sexual harassment, detectives then closed the case given the child's age and status as well. 

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St Edmund's College response on the sexual harassment issue

Evi's parents have been appalled that two other women students were told that the same man might have sexually impacted their identity.

Three years ago, the school was already warned. 

The school retained a 'high level of treatment,  and we take all of these issues very seriously,' argued St Edmund's principal Jon Franzin.

In a statement, he said that their students' wellbeing is their number one concern and has always been it. The school regretted the case that has caused the affected families all the worry and anxiety.

Franzin said that the school worked on investigating the matter with the police and other agencies at the time.

"While receiving the assistance of external agencies, we acted quickly to fully investigate the allegations and talk with all parents and students involved..." he said.

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Accordingly, the region does not have a wide area but a rainforest, with some stone benches - the Sacred Space is named. Their child, Evi, is probably around a 2- or 3-year-intellectual old's age, and she can't be without a grown-up while other children can. So, Mr. Rowe said, "It's just nuts to think that children would go alone."

In the light of the supposed failures to protect their daughter, the family is now ready for civil proceedings against the school and recently published their intentional notice.

They want the school to admit, however, that the children were not covered. This is why you have this massive gap between a combination of coed teens ranging from almost mainstream children to almost-two-year-old kids like Evi.

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